Thank you to everyone who participated in our 9th annual celebration to benefit the Phoebe Hall Knipling Outdoor Lab at Whitlow’s on Wilson. Matt Bogoshan, a parent of a student at Randolph Elementary, provided live music entertainment and Jesse the Amazing, a talented magician, entertained the crowd with his tricks.
Matt Bogoshan, a Randolph parent, provided live music entertainment.Jesse the Amazing wows the crowd.
AOEA President, Mike Nardolilli, was interviewed on “Meeting Our Needs,” a show that highlights people and organizations who meet the needs of the Arlington, VA community. View the video on YouTube.
We had beautiful weather and excellent turnout for our semi-annual open house at the Outdoor Lab.
The Open House is for all AOEA members, Arlington public school students and staff and their families and friends. Our next open house is May 17, 2014.
Callen Bentley, former Arlington County student and current professor at Northern Virginia Community College, writes on the American Geophysical Union Blogosphere about a recent visit to the Outdoor Lab and the rocks and formations he observed.
We had a special visitor, Dave Goetz, a Civil War historian at the Spring Open House. He provided a description and history of some of the events that occurred on the Lab property during the Civil War. The most significant activity was in June 1863 when Confederate General JEB Stuart led 4,200 troops through Glasscock Gap, which is on the Lab property, en route to Gettysburg. Stuart ultimately ended up arriving on the second day of the battle, too late to change the Union victory.
Mr. Goetz is an expert on John Singleton Mosby, the Gray Ghost, who had his base of operations in and around Fauquier County, Virginia. He explained that it is very likely that Mosby provided JEB Stuart with the intelligence to use the little know Glasscock Gap to get through the Bull Run Mountains.
Evidence of the Civil War activity has been seen through artifacts found on the Lab property including bullets, Union belt buckle, Confederate buttons and various other metal objects. Anthony recently used a metal detector to find a variety of objects in the Gap. Gary Knipling and Anthony led a hike around the Lab property identifying where the Glasscock Gap is and the likely route of the Civil War troops.
Dave Goetz owns and operates Mosby’s Confederacy Tours, and leads tours in “Mosby’s Confederacy,” including Virginia counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, Warren, Clarke and Fairfax.
Dave Goetz describing Civil War activity on the Lab property
Callen Bentley, former Arlington County student and current professor at Northern Virginia Community College, writes on the American Geophysical Union Blogosphere about a recent visit to the Outdoor Lab and the rocks and formations he observed.